Big Smoke Burger opening first branch in Dubai

February 15, 2014 9:26 am

Big Smoke Burger, Toronto’s gourmet better burger sensation, will be opening its first location in Dubai in the coming weeks, expanding on its existing presence in the Middle East in Kuwait and Riyadh.

The site for the Dubai location will be in the vibrant Meraas Development on Al Wasl Road, a high profile lifestyle destination featuring a combination of restaurants and retail stores located in one of the most traditional, wealthy areas of Dubai-Jumeirah. The franchisee, Al-Samadi Retail, who have signed a 15-unit deal to develop Big Smoke Burger throughout the UAE, called Dubai ‘the GCC’s hub of tourism’.

The group, an experienced hospitality and retail group whose other specialty concepts have already secured locations in two of Dubai’s busiest malls, have taken on Big Smoke Burger as their first F&B holding. Saleh Al-Samadi, the managing partner who will head up development for Big Smoke in the UAE, said their penetration strategy will have a primary focus on Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.

After being impressed by Big Smoke Burger’s unique taste and solid operations, Al-Samadi said, “We have studied the market and evaluated competitors, Big Smoke is very different from anything that’s currently out there.”

The Dubai opening comes on the heels of two other recent openings in the Middle East. The region’s first outlet opened in Kuwait at Divonne Complex in late 2013, a restaurant complex in Abu Al-Hasaniya. The second Big Smoke Burger restaurant opened in January in Riyadh on Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Street (formerly Tahlia Street), one of the busiest and most vibrant entertainment, shopping, and dining streets in Riyadh.These two are the first of multiple locations to come to the Middle East, including more units to be opened by the Kuwait and Saudi Arabia franchisees, as well as new restaurants slated for Dubai, UAE and Bahrain.

Big Smoke Burger Bahrain, located at The Walk Bahrain on Mashtan Road, is also slated to open in March 2014.

Big Smoke Burger uses always fresh, never frozen beef and flame broils their burgers rather than using a flat top grill. This, plus the addition of their homemade signature sauces, give the burgers their unique ‘Big Smoke’ taste. They also offer traditional Canadian poutine on their menu, a staple Canadian comfort food that will be a new experience for consumers in the United States and across the Middle East.

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